Sunday 28 October 2012 19.49 EDT
First published on Sunday 28 October 2012 19.49 EDT

Chris Ashton expected to be booed on his return to Northampton five months after leaving for their fierce rivals Saracens but the England wing was surprised to be greeted with braying noises. It might have had something to do with his mule-like kick in a clumsy challenge on his opposite number, Vasily Artemyev, which saw him play the man rather than the ball and left the Russian in a heap on the touchline.

The crowd demanded that Ashton be sent off but the referee, Andrew Small, contented himself with a few words of advice and no stronger action than a penalty. It was an incident to engage the match citing commissioner but even the Northampton director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, who reacted indignantly when Ashton told him he was off down the M1, did not think a red card was merited.

"It was not the best tackle I have ever seen," was the limit of his condemnation. Ashton admitted he was relieved not to be given at least 10 minutes off. "I was glad the referee and touch judge came to the decision they did," he said. "It was bad timing."

Mallinder was more concerned with Northampton's third defeat in four matches with Leicester at Welford Road next up this weekend. Saracens replaced them at the top of the table for a day and have won seven of the past eight fixtures between the sides. The Saints were on top in the first half but the loss of Courtney Lawes, Dylan Hartley and Stephen Myler through injury left them exposed.

Lawes and Hartley limped into England's training camp on Sunday after suffering knee injuries, the latter after a tackle by Ashton. Mallinder said he had no alternative but to take them off and, while Hartley's mood afterwards was not that of a player who expects to miss the start of the autumn international series, Lawes is becoming rugby union's Abou Diaby, a player whose appearances are increasingly intermittent as medics labour over his latest injury.

Once Saracens had taken the lead through a counter-attacking try towards the end of the first half, the first time they have crossed the line this season when Owen Farrell has been at outside-half, Northampton lacked the means to chase the game and could not even secure the consolation of a losing bonus point.

"It was always going to be difficult to win here," Ashton said. "The defence at Saracens has long been organised and we are trying to build on our attack. When you come away from home you have to kill the game off and, as at Harlequins, we did that.

"It was good to be back at Northampton, although the emotions were mixed. There was booing and there was a lot of 'Eeyoring', something I did not know went on around here but apparently it does. It was strange but I have had a lot worse, let me tell you. I am just happy with the win."

Ashton tried to get involved, misdirecting a fly-kick as the line beckoned, but the game fizzled out in the final 25 minutes with Northampton unable to loosen the defensive grip of Saracens, Brad Barritt ensuring that the outside-half Ryan Lamb never had the luxury of time and the influence of the Pisi brothers, which at one point in the first half was profound, became muted.

"Chris was brilliant," said the England full-back, Alex Goode, who scored the only try of the match. "He wanted to be involved in everything, perhaps too much at times. He dealt with it all pretty well: there was one incident but the players and the crowd tried to milk it after the guy stayed down. It happens in rugby and you move on."